FOREIGN COMMERCIAL EAVESDROPPING MARKET BEGINNING TO FLOURISH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04924A000200060003-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 20, 1997
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: June 26, 1970
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007718ft -Pm DP78-04924AO00200060003-3
NO FOREIGN DISSEM %Wd
UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE COUNTERMEASURES COMMITTEE
Information Notice 70-8
26 June 1970
FOREIGN COMMERCIAL EAVESDROPPING MARKET
BEGINNING TO FLOURISH
As a result of the prohibitions contained in the Omnibus Crime
Bill of 1968 (18 U.S. Code 2512), the majority of the smaller domestic
suppliers of commercially available eavesdropping equipment have gone
out of business, although a few continue to advertis.e their products for
babysitting purposes, intruder detection, or bird watching. It is impossible
to tell to what extent sub rosa sales of such equipment are still being made
for audio surveillance purposes. Reputable suppliers such as Fargo
Company, Silmar Electronics, Inc., and Ace Electronics (R.B. Clifton),
have continued in business but are limiting their sales to law enforcement
and other branches of the government.
As anticipated, more and more overseas suppliers. have appeared
in the market place, although it is difficult to determine to what extent
their catalogs and advertisements have become available to customers
in this country. Since this overseas equipment is easily available to
smaller nations who do not have an electronic capability of their own, the
TSCC will continue to keep the community informed of such foreign
commercially available eavesdropping gear by publishing summaries
of those catalogs which it is able to procure.
The cooperation of the community in the collection of such
catalogs, brochures, etc. , is essential. and TSCC members are urged
to submit on a loan basis all such material which they may acquire. In
a similar vein, any evaluations or experiences with foreign commercial
equipment of interest should be forwarded to the TSCC so that these may
be further disseminated for the benefit of countermeasures technicians
throughout the intelligence community.
GROUP 1
NO FOREIGN DISSEM Excluded from automatic
downgrading and
Approved For Release 2007/02/24: CIA-RDP78-04924A000200 68t-1b` automatic
 Approved For Release 2007/021 RDP78-04924A000200060003-3
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
One such recently received brochure orginates from:
Gerhard Thoner
5201 Honsbach
Post Bachermuhle
Germany
Thoner is apparently a retailer and his descriptive material, in.
German, does not identify either the manufacturer or distributor of the
devices.
The catalog sheet lists a variety of wireless transmitters ranging
in dimensions from king-size cigarette. pack to sugar-cube format; a
contact microphone transmitter is also listed.. The RF transmitters are
all. of German manufacture and in conformity with German law are listed
for sale for export only.
Other listings of :equipment of interest include three varieties of
telephone transmitters, a ballpoint pen transmitter, several receivers
and receiver-recorder combinations, and one transmitter detector, the
latter apparently of the "sing-around" variety. An infrared viewing
device and infrared detector complete the listing.
Many of the Thoner devices appear to be identical with equipment
described in Information Notice 69-17, 20 October 1969, as being offered
for sale by Peter Hamann of Hamburg, Germany. It is probable both of
these outlets utilize a common supplier.
Approved For Release 2007/02/24: CIA-RDP78-04924A000200060003-3